Coca Cola Co

Coca-Cola Co. said fourth-quarter earnings rose 1.8%, helped by sales in North America of new and acquired beverages such as Vanilla Coke and Evian water. Net income increased to $930 million, or 38 cents a share, Coca-Cola said. Sales rose 13% to $4.8 billion. Coca-Cola's shares rose 74 cents to $39.74 on the New York Stock Exchange.

PepsiCo Inc. announced plans Friday to invest $5 billion to expand in Mexico over the next five years, a move that will boost its production capacity and add 4,000 new jobs to the country's economy. The beverage and snack maker said Mexico is "one of the most attractive markets in Latin America , with a growing middle class and numerous opportunities for long-term economic growth. " The New York-based company has been investing aggressively in recent years to strengthen its business in emerging markets.

Coca-Cola Co. said fourth-quarter profit rose 30% on lower costs and an unexpected increase in sales. Net income climbed to $1.2 billion, or 50 cents a share, from $927 million, or 38 cents, a year earlier. Sales increased 1.6% to $5.26 billion, the Atlanta-based company said. Shares of Coca-Cola rose 65 cents to $43.30 on the NYSE.

Coca-Cola Co. has announced that it will split its North America business into two units as it aims to return to a traditional franchising model. The Atlanta-based beverage giant also announced changes in its top leadership. The company said Thursday that effective Jan. 1, it have two new units -- Coca-Cola North America and Coca-Cola Refreshments. J.A.M. Douglas has been appointed group president for Coca-Cola North America. Paul Mulligan will lead Coca-Cola Refreshments, the bottling division of the business, the company said. Coca-Cola announced earlier this year that it would revamp the company as it tries to deal with a decline its soda business.

Coca-Cola Co. asked a Georgia judge to dismiss a lawsuit by a fired executive whose claims prompted an accounting probe by federal authorities. Coca-Cola asked Judge Elizabeth E. Long to dismiss the lawsuit by Matthew Whitley, the ex-finance director of the company's fountain division, or at least delay pretrial evidence gathering until he identifies more facts to support his claims.

Coca-Cola Co. lost its bid to return to India today when the government turned down an application that would have allowed the soft drink maker to compete with domestic producers. Even a spokesman for Coke's top competitor, Pepsi-Cola, criticized the move as a return to economic nationalism by India, which in recent years had encouraged foreign investment. Commerce Secretary S. P. Shukla said Coke's application to build a $3-million plant in an export zone had been rejected.

PepsiCo Inc. lost a bid to revive a lawsuit that accused rival Coca-Cola Co., the world's largest soft-drink maker, of violating antitrust laws by forcing distributors to sell only its drinks to retailers. A two-judge appeals panel affirmed U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska's September 2000 ruling dismissing the lawsuit brought by the No.

Coca-Cola Co., as it moves from the era of retiring Chairman and Chief Executive Douglas Ivester, anointed a strong second-in-command for the first time in several years. Coca-Cola said it intends to elect Jack Stahl, who oversees the company's prestigious operations in the Americas, as president and chief operating officer in April. Stahl, a 20-year veteran now responsible for operations that account for about half of Coca-Cola's revenue, will become the No.

Coca-Cola is betting big that Glaceau will help expand its water and energy drink offerings and jump-start North American sales. On Friday, the world's largest beverage maker said it would buy the maker of Vitaminwater for $4.1 billion in cash. Coca-Cola executives said the price tag, which is nearly twice what Glaceau's estimated value was less than a year ago and represents Coke's largest acquisition ever, was worth it.

July 16, 2013 | By Ricardo Lopez, This post has been corrected. See the note below for details.

Coca-Cola Co. earnings Tuesday showed the beverage maker's key business -- soft drinks -- is fizzling as more health-conscious Americans drink less soda. The company's second-quarter volume growth came in well below expectations, showing declines in some parts of the world. Executives blamed currency exchange head winds, weak consumer confidence and wet, chilly weather. Net income for the quarter that ended June 28 fell 4% from the year-earlier quarter to $2.68 billion . Adjusted earnings came in at 63 cents a share.

Media mogul Barry Diller is speaking up about his recent tiff with the Federal Trade Commission involving his stake in Coca-Cola Co. The executive behind the launch of Fox Broadcasting and a former chief executive of Paramount Pictures has agreed to pay $480,000 to resolve FTC allegations that he failed to properly disclose his purchases of Coke stock between 2010 and 2012. Because the purchases brought his holdings above $63.4 million, he was required to disclose them to the FTC but failed to do so, the agency said.

There was a period in my life when I had lunch every Saturday at Kokomo, a lunch counter in that odd part of Farmers Market between DuPar's and the place where they grind the horseradish. Kokomo had a rack of movie magazines to read while you waited for your malted, and it was famous for its overloaded hamburgers and its New Orleans-style egg dishes. But the dish I ordered every time was the grilled cheese sandwich - the torta de queso al carbon - which was a crunchy, toasty thing stuffed with smoky gobs of chipotles pureed with sun-dried tomatoes, a few leaves of cilantro, and melted cheddar and provolone cheese that oozed from the crisped, sourdough toast with every bite.

Question: How will changes at Coca-Cola Co. affect my stock? Answer: Coca-Cola has been ranked the most valuable brand worldwide for the last 11 years by Interbrand, the global branding firm. The world's largest maker of soft drinks, the company sells more than 3,300 products in more than 200 countries. Almost three-fourths of its revenue is generated outside the U.S. For example, the company recently predicted its sales in Peru would hit $1 billion within five years.

What do the Mir spacecraft, Axl Rose and NASCAR have in common? They're all part of publicity stunts that could bring you some free junk food -- and help companies develop relationships with you, Mr. or Ms. Potential Customer. This weekend, if any of Coca-Cola Co.'s 13 sponsored drivers win in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, everyone in America can get a free 20-ounce bottle of Coke Zero by downloading a coupon from the company's website. A few months ago, Dr Pepper promised a free soda to everyone in America if Axl Rose puts out a new Guns N' Roses album in 2008.

Coca-Cola Co. on Wednesday reported a 79% jump in fourth-quarter profit and maintained its growth targets despite a slowing U.S. economy. The Atlanta-based company said it earned $1.21 billion, or 52 cents a share, for the three months ending Dec. 31, compared with a profit of $678 million, or 29 cents, a year earlier, when the company took a big impairment charge at its largest bottler. Excluding one-time items, Coca-Cola said it earned $1.36 billion, or 58 cents a share, higher than the 55 cents a share analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting.

In a further break from the go-it-alone era of its former chairman and chief executive, Douglas Ivester, Coca-Cola Co. said Monday that Donald Keough, a legendary 43-year Coke veteran, would rejoin the company as an advisor to senior management. The world's largest soft drinks company said Keough, 74, would personally advise Chairman and Chief Executive Douglas Daft and the company's board.

Neville Isdell's tenure as Coca-Cola Co.'s leader saw senior management changes, a big acquisition and a focus on improving employee morale. After his unexpected announcement Thursday that he would step down as chief executive next year, Isdell said more challenges were ahead for the world's biggest beverage company. Isdell, 64, who has been CEO since 2004, will be replaced as chief executive by his second-in-command, Chief Operating Officer Muhtar Kent, effective July 1.

Coca-Cola Co. is evaluating whether to make a bid for Snapple, the bottled tea maker that is owned by Cadbury Schweppes, as part of Coke's push into tea-based drinks, Coke Chief Executive E. Neville Isdell told Reuters. "That is a valuation that we undertake, whether it is of interest to us or whether we can do it on our own," he said in an interview Wednesday. London-based Cadbury, the world's largest confectionary company, is getting ready to separate its U.S.